Sunshine requests reveals distrust, frustration growing among SJSD Board of Education members
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- After more than two months of controversy surrounding the St. Joseph School District's Board of Education and a Missouri Constitution violation, it appears that the distrust and frustration amongst board members is still growing.
KQ2 filed a Sunshine Request on May 14, 2026, for "any and all emails from board members from Monday, May 11, 2026, through Thursday, May 14, 2026" based on the conversations had at the Tuesday, May 12, 2026 board work session.
During the work session, frustration was evident throughout the meeting regarding the board's communication with legal services (EdCounsel), the reorganization procedure (electing president and vice-president), and board policies, including the ongoing controversy surrounding Kim Miller's seat on the board.
KQ2 sorted through more than 900 pages of documents that the district released in the Sunshine Request. Many of the pages included multiple copies of the same emails, but were sent to each board member.
However, there were also emails exchanged between board members regarding the ongoing issue with Miller's seat and board leadership.
Board member Mike Moore sent an email to board leadership — President Ronda Chesney and Vice President Jacob McMillian — regarding their handling of the Miller's Missouri Constitution violation in March.
In part, Moore said in his email on Wednesday, May 13, that "it has been noted by many that expectations are clear: Ms. Miller should resign. This stance is supported by the MEC (Missouri Ethics Commission), MSBA (Missouri School Boards Association)." There was a third group mentioned, but that was redacted by the district's legal counsel (EdCounsel).
Moore also said that "her (Miller) refusal to do so has led to private lawsuits that our board should have no active role in. At the April regular board meeting, this Board, against my urging and without my support, voted to allow Ms. Miller to rescind the vote as to the 'appointment of Kristopher Miller only' from a multi-page list of approvals made during the March regular board meeting, thus involving this Board and our district in Ms. Miller's private lawsuit."
The next part of Moore's email was also redacted in the Sunshine request, but Moore adds that he "holds no ill will against Miller." There is another section redacted before Moore adds that "allowing this distraction to take center stage and consume our energy is wrong. I call for you to end this dysfunction and urge Ms. Miller to resign for the good of our board and the stakeholders in our district."
Moore finishes his email with comments directed at Chesney and McMillian. Although some parts are redacted again, Moore said, "you both looked me in the eyes and said (redacted)...I no longer trust you."
Other board members are speaking out in emails sent to and from board members. In responses to community members, Cassandra Veale and LaTonya Williams responded between Monday, May 11, 2026, and Thursday, May 14, 2026, and called for accountability while stating that they understood the frustration about the board.
In one community email to the board, an individual said that they had never been more "enraged by the decisions and the rhetoric coming from the board." The community member, who has also been an educator for several years, asked, "At what point are at least 4 board members going to say enough is enough?"
Another community member also shared their frustration with the board regarding the ongoing situation. The community member believes that the board did not follow its promise of letting Miller's violation run its course, but instead, the community stated that "board leadership did everything but stand down."
Throughout the last two months, KQ2 has covered the school board's arguing and the handling of the violation, including asking newly-selected president Ronda Chesney on April 13, 2026, whether she had talked to legal counsel about the violation.
Following that board meeting, board leadership wanted to let the process play out in the investigation, but at the April 26, 2026, meeting, there were more problems for the board.
Board leadership moved to allow Miller to rescind her March personnel report.
In the official minutes of the vote, Miller made the motion to rescind her vote, and it was seconded by Vice President McMillian.
The vote was that the board rescinds the March 24, 2026, vote as to the reappointment of Kristopher Miller (Miller's son), which was only included as part of the board's approval of the probationary teacher reappointment list as presented.
Despite concerns raised by board members Moore and Veale about potential violations of Robert’s Rules of Order and board policy, the motion passed. Board members Ronda Chesney, Jennifer Kerns, Jacob McMillian and Kim Miller voted in favor of the motion.
Williams was not present for the initial vote but returned to the meeting after attending a visitation.
Outside of the board meetings, community members filed a lawsuit in late April against Miller and her eligibility to serve in her board seat.
The lawsuit states that the community members want the court to "grant relators leave to file this petition in Quo Warranto, issue a judgment of ouster declaring that respondent Kim Miller forfeited her office as a member of the St. Joseph School Board effective March 24, 2026."
Court documents also show that the lawsuit requests that any vote, motion, or other official action taken by Miller at any board meeting occurring after March 24, 2026, is null and void and has no legal effect. The petitioners have also asked that Miller vacate her seat and refrain from any further participation in board activities.
Following the lawsuit and April 26 board meeting, KQ2 filed another Sunshine request for “any email correspondence between Ed Counsel, Ronda Chesney and Jacob McMillian between April 13, 2026, and April 27, 2026,” involving members of the Board of Education.
KQ2 knew that the subject matter and the contents of the email would be confidential, but asked for email receipts because board leadership said that they had the emails and would share them with the board. However, multiple board members told KQ2 that they did not receive any emails from leadership regarding legal counsel's opinion on Miller rescinding her vote and did not have a board conversation regarding the process of talking to legal counsel until May 12, 2026.
Ed Counsel’s accusations against Williams stem from emails from legal counsel being submitted in a lawsuit against SJSD Board of Education member Kim Miller.
The lawsuit, filed by five community members, including Williams, includes emails exchanged between Williams and legal counsel in March regarding Miller’s alleged violation of the Missouri Constitution.
Williams said she is part of the lawsuit but is not the one who made the communications from legal counsel public.
The emails became public after a community member made a Sunshine Law request for emails between Williams and Miller, where the district accidentally sent unredacted emails to the community member.
The infighting between board members has been a big focus, and the distrust sewn between them is all happening at the same time that the district is facing budget shortfalls, a complete district re-organization and a Career Ladder crisis as the state pulled funding from the program during the legislative session.
The lawsuit against Miller is back in court at 1 p.m. Friday, June 5, 2026, in Division I of the Buchanan County Courthouse.
